


The Wheels on the Bus

by peacefulboo



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, Thank You Canada Tour, Tour Bus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 14:23:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15145061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacefulboo/pseuds/peacefulboo
Summary: Tessa is as prepared as she can be to spend much of the next six weeks on a tour bus with her friends. Really. It's gonna be great.





	The Wheels on the Bus

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know, ya'll. This little piece is brought to you by Meagan Duhamel revealing that they'll be bussing it on the Thank You tour and my low impulse control. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know, yeah?
> 
> And thanks to C for doing her best to get this thing in readable shape and giving me some of the better ideas. Go team!

When they decide to bus it across Canada, the event manager that they are using to help guide them through the process of wrangling a tour of this size, presents them with a few tour bus options for the cast. Option A is a 12-bunk bus with a front living and dining area and a back bedroom with a full bed, ostensibly for Virtue and Moir, the headliners. Option B is also a 12-bunk bus with two living areas and no full bedroom, the same model they will be using for the crew. 

Scott would prefer to not be separated out from the rest of the cast, but he takes one look at Tessa and suppresses the urge to reject option A outright. Instead, when he catches her eye, he does his best to give her the freedom to choose whatever it is she needs. 

Tessa doesn’t need Scott to say anything in order to know what his preference is. In an ideal world it would be her preference, too. She’s grateful for the kind, encouraging, judgment free look he gives her, which assures her that if she chooses to go with the first option, he won’t begrudge her for it. 

“Whatever you need, Tess,” he says. 

God she loves this man. 

He knows her well enough to know that six weeks spent mostly traveling and sleeping on a bus with a bunch of people they know, who will be even more in their pockets than strangers would be, has major potential to be a nightmare for someone like Tessa. She craves alone time and silence even when she isn’t having to perform for crowds or be on for her friends, and he loves her enough to tamp down his own discomfort with separating themselves out from the rest, if that’s what she needs. 

Tessa shakes her head and points to option B. The cast will have the same layout of bus as the crew. The bunks are cosy and have their own curtains and Tessa is pretty sure that she can hibernate there just as well as in a separate room. She already has a favorite set of ear plugs and will bring her favorite linen spray and candle (even though she knows she can’t light it), and she’ll make good use of a hotel room anytime it’s an option. 

They spend the weeks leading up to the tour getting as much time alone as they can manage, both together and apart. They do make time for their families and friends in whichever home base they happen to be in at the time, but Tessa makes a point of taking walks in her favorite parks and carving out hours of time on her own, even amidst the chaos these weeks have become. She knows her options will be severely limited once they’re on the road. 

When they’re in the confines of her house or his (and let’s face it, her bed is way more comfortable so it’s usually hers) they try to enjoy the feeling of just being home together. They walk around half-clothed and kiss and touch and remember to be in the moment, knowing that even those comforts will be limited to them once they’re on the road. The cast all know they’re together romantically, but the crew is mostly new (though they’ve poached quite a few from Stars on Ice since it’s their off season and most of the crew and drivers would prefer to work for them than for rock and pop bands that tend to be a little less sedate than a bunch of veteran figure skaters.) Since they really hope to get to the end of tour and through the holidays before acknowledging their couple status, they are going to have to go back into stealth mode. Luckily they’ve set enough of a precedent for a certain level of open affection that they labeled ‘platonic’ that they won’t have to keep their hands entirely to themselves. Restraint in public areas is nothing new, but it is starting to get really fucking old. 

Still, when the first leg of the tour is upon them, Tessa is more excited than apprehensive. She’s worked out some strategies to manage her energy and with those plans in place she’s able to put it out of her mind and step into this arrangement that none of them have actually experienced before. 

Knowing that Tessa is looking forward to the experience allows Scott to be fully jazzed once they gather at the 1st venue in Abbotsford. The touring cast all get to check out the bus and claim their bunks, stow the gear they don’t need with them for their rehearsal and just generally get the layout of where they’ll be staying for the next 6 weeks. The crowd is smaller than their last Stars on Ice tour, and a little less enthusiastic than the crowds in Japan and Korea, but there’s still a buzz of excitement and the meet and greet is one of the better ones they’ve had outside of one of their hometowns. 

They meet a lot of kids and teens at this event, see a few familiar faces of people they know they’ve met a few times over the years and generally the night leaves Tessa with a surplus of energy rather than a deficit. It’s a nice feeling. 

The whole cast is wired when they pile onto the bus, and get settled. They pile into the back lounge and half watch whatever MLB playoff game is on. It’s not the Jays or the Tigers, but it’s baseball so both Scott and Tessa’s attention returns to the tv when something interesting happens. Andrew and Elvis start up a game of chess (the bus came with a few games that have magnetic pieces) and they’re so evenly matched that everyone can tell this is going to be a game played over the next few days rather than completed tonight. Kaitlyn and Meagan sequester themselves into the booth with a tablet in front of them as they watch their favorite skates from the Senior B and Challenger events and pick apart the programs of some of their favorite, and least favorite, competitors. 

Kaetlyn settles on the floor in front of Tessa and hands her a comb and some elastics. Tessa takes the comb leans over her and asks, “How do you want it?”

“Two braids. I’m feeling like going curly tomorrow,” Kaetlyn answers.

“Tight or loose?”

“Tight, I think,” Kaetlyn answers. 

Tessa gets to work plaiting Kaet’s hair into two, very tight french braids while Scott sits back and plays with Tessa’s hair. 

“Are you trying to give me a facelift?” Kaetlyn asks with a wince. 

Tessa snorts in response. Her sister would always complain that she braided too tight. 

It was a late night at the venue and the rhythmic movement of the bus soon lulls Tessa into a drowsy state so once she’s done with Kaetlyn’s hair she settles back against Scott. He continues to play with her hair as he and Patrick finish up a game of Battleship, and she eventually falls asleep to the sounds of the others talking quietly. 

When both the baseball game and Battleship are over (Patrick won, much to Scott’s dismay) everyone starts making their way to their bunks, so Scott gently rouses Tessa. 

“I’m heading to bed. You should, too,” he tells her with a kiss to her hair. He helps her up off the couch and leads her to the bunk she picked out, kisses her softly on the mouth, makes sure she’s got her blankets, since they’ve been instructed to keep the sleeping quarters as cool as they’re able to stand. She’s back asleep before he even closes the curtain. 

As he climbs into his own bunk, he hopes that her ease tonight is a good omen of things to come. 

***

Most of the cast, including Tessa and Scott, stay in Kelowna during the first two days of their three day break in shows. The hotel they stay in is nice enough and they spend a lot of time out by the lake. It’s a gorgeous town and they’ve spent some time there during the course of their career so they have favorite spots and they eat at their favorite diner, usually with Kaitlyn and a few other cast members, all three mornings they’re there. The hotel puts on a decent Thanksgiving meal and it’s nice to spend the holiday with the cast and crew that stayed behind.

It’s like a mini vacation, since neither of them have family or friends in the town, but Scott is antsy to get on with the tour and is stoked once they get on the road to Grande Prairie. 

Their next three shows are fun, though the choreography is still a little rusty. The first night back on the bus is as low key as their initial drive. The second? Not so much. 

There are some rum-fueled games of Spoons that leave Scott with gouges in his hands from one of the girls’ fingernails. The amount of raucous laughter and taunting is good natured and Scott finds himself having a blast. 

Tessa politely declines to play after the second round of Spoons, opting instead to do catch up on email and social media. She even posts a hilarious photo of Scott and Meagan diving for the final spoon during one of the games to the Tour Instagram and Twitter accounts. 

Spoons mellows out into a tense game of Texas Hold ‘Em (who knew Kaetlyn was a card shark) and soon the bus again lulls Tessa into a sleepy state. She finishes up her work and after watching another round of poker, she drops a kiss on Scott’s head and bids everyone goodnight. 

He looks up at her with his eyebrows raised in slight concern but she just shakes her head, letting him know she’s fine and leans down to kiss him on the mouth and wish him goodnight. She’s falls asleep fairly quickly to the low sounds of the team razzing each other, happy in her own space. She actually likes falling asleep to the sounds of some of her favorite people being happy. 

***

The stretch of shows between Lethbridge and Brandon are brutal. Why they thought five shows back to back was a good idea, she’ll never know. That it’s the lowest selling stretch of the tour does nothing to help Tessa mood, other than the small turn out for meet and greets means they get to get back to the bus earlier than they probably will for any of the rest of their shows. 

Meagan’s energy has always been a little intense for Tessa, but when you combine it with Scott’s affinity for sarcasm, Eric’s general coldness when he gets tired, and Kaitlyn’s punchiness when she’s exhausted and it’s all Tessa can do not to jump off the bus on the highway between between Medicine Hat and Brandon. She goes to bed almost as soon as she gets on the bus but she tosses and turns until well after everyone else has gone to sleep. She dozes here and there but doesn’t feel like she’s getting solid rest so at 3:30 in the morning, she slides out of her bunk and heads into the front lounge for an apple and some almond butter. She ducks down to see if Steven, their driver for this stretch, needs anything, grabs him a bag of pretzels and a Monster from fridge, which he thanks her for, and then settles onto the couch to stare out the window. The moon is almost full so she can see the silhouettes of the trees as the bus passes them by and not much else. 

Allowing herself to just be and stare out into the dark is the most relaxed Tessa has been in days. She needs to get through the next 36 hours or so and then she’ll be on a plane to London where she and Scott can sleep in their own bed, in the quiet of her house. They’ve actually planned in a full twenty-four hours where they have zero responsibilities. She’s so ready. 

“Hey,” he says quietly.

Tessa startles and sees Scott at the doorway of the lounge. He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, looking concerned. 

“Hey,” she whispers back when she realizes it’s him. 

“You okay?” he asks. 

“It’s just nice to be awake and alone,” she says with a shrug and tired smile. 

“I just wanted to check on you when I saw your curtain was open,” he says as he stands up straight and turns to go back to bed. 

“Scott,” Tessa calls out to him, her voice still low but she knows he can hear her. 

He stops and turns toward her. 

“Come here,” she says with her hand outstretched to him. 

Scott takes a second to study her and evaluate if she really does want him to come to her. When he reads sincerity in her face, he complies, padding over to stand next to her. 

“No, come _here_ ,” she beckons, patting the spot beside her. He sits down next to her and she immediately leans against him. “You don’t count.”

“What?” he asks. 

Tessa chuckles and kisses his shoulder. “When I say that it’s nice to be awake and alone, you don’t count. Us, alone together, is good.”

Scott presses his forehead against hers and breathes her in. 

Tessa laces her fingers with his and gives him a long, thorough kiss. When they pull apart after a few minutes, Scott slides down so his head is resting against her belly and Tessa sighs as she runs her fingers through his hair. 

Kaetlyn wakes early the next morning and finds them there, asleep and wrapped around each other. She takes a picture and has to physically restrain herself from sharing it on Instagram.

After Brandon, they end up spending a few days at home as planned. They make the drive to Sault Ste Marie and enjoy the shows there and in Sudburry. The drive down to Kitchener is quick and mostly fun. Tessa falls asleep snuggled up against Scott on the couch again but since the drive is fairly short he opts to stay with her there in the lounge rather than attempt to move her for only another hour or so. 

They mostly go their separate ways for the next leg of the tour. Most of cast have family or homes in and around the Toronto area and they all choose to spend the next six or so shows going their separate ways after the Meet and Greets. 

Tessa and Scott spend a few days back in London after the Kitchener show and then use Jordan’s house in Toronto as a home base for the next six shows. 

The Ontario shows are the most well attended which is lovely but exhausting in their own way. Scott makes a habit of taking her hand and giving her a squeeze to help her stay grounded in the moment when the amount of people she’s coming into contact with daily gets to be overwhelming. Being able to retreat to a house with her family and Scott, even if it’s mostly just to sleep, helps. A lot. 

The first night they’re all back on the bus, everyone seems tired but they all stay up and play cards or chess or, in the case of Eric and Tessa, read while just being with their friends. 

As usual the togetherness gets old as their consecutive days on the bus wear on and Tessa again finds herself restless in her bunk. All she wants in that moment is to crawl into Scott’s bed and tuck herself into his arms and sleep surrounded by his scent and warmth. So she slides out of her bunk and quietly pulls his curtain back. 

She takes one look at the small space and cringes. They are fairly small people and they could probably technically fit in the small space, but it no longer seems appealing. So Tessa gently cups his face in her hand and rubs her thumb against his cheek. 

“Scott,” she whispers, hoping that she doesn’t startle him. 

Scott’s eyes open slowly and he looks up at Tessa with a frown. “You okay?” he mumbles. 

“Come with me to the couch,” Tessa says as she takes his hand in hers and kisses it. 

“M’Kay,” he agrees on a sigh. 

Tessa steps back so he can slip out of his bunk and they both drag their blankets with them. This time Scott lays on the couch first, back against the cushions and arms open so Tessa can crawl into the space in front of him. That he does all this with his eyes partially closed makes Tessa smile fondly. Even half asleep he’s good at taking care of her. 

As soon as Tessa settles, he presses a drowsy kiss to the back of her head and says, “Sleep, love.”

Tessa can tell by how quickly his breath evens out that he’s fallen back to sleep immediately. 

She takes a few more minutes to drift off, but it’s easier now that she’s surrounded by his warmth. 

Scott wakes before dawn, and doesn’t actually remember why he’s now on the couch with Tessa clutching him like a koala, but he’s not going to complain. Her nose is scrunched in the low light and she looks perplexed even as she sleeps. 

He’s so glad they went through with this tour and he’s proud of how well it’s gone, but he won’t be sad to get his girl home for a bit before the holiday season ramps up and they have a ton of obligations pulling at them again. Tessa’s been a trooper and he’s pretty sure the whole tour bus situation has gone way better than either of them feared. 

Scott presses a kiss to her crinkled brow and smiles as she relaxes in her sleep. They lay like that for a bit before Scott hears the pocket door slide open. He can feel Kaetlyn’s presence pretty much immediately and murmurs, “You taking more pictures, Kaet?” 

Kaetlyn clicks her tongue but takes the picture anyway. “I’ll be sure to send it to you.”

“See that you do,” he whispers before burying his face in Tessa’s hair. 

Soon the rest of the cast is trickling in to grab something to eat or some water before they pull into their final destination for the bus part of the tour. They’ll all fly home from here and then fly back to St.Johns a little later in November. While Scott eventually coaxes Tessa awake and they shift so they’re sitting up, giving the others more space to sit as they eat, they don’t really untangle from each other. 

“It’s nice to see you guys so happy,” Elvis says before taking a long drink from his water bottle. 

Tessa just smiles sleepily and buries her face in Scott’s shoulder. 

It’s nice to be this happy.


End file.
